Senator Rivera Issues Statement Following Governor Cuomo's Announcement to Reform New York's Tax System

Senator Gustavo Rivera  issued the following statement in response to Governor Cuomo’s announcement that an agreement has been reached that will create jobs and reform New York’s tax system:

“I applaud Governor Cuomo's for his leadership in taking on tax reform and for acknowledging that New York State can address economic development at the same time that we address economic inequality. After being asked to continuously sacrifice during tough economic times, middle class and working families in the 33^rd Senate District in the Bronx will be receiving a tax cut to help them get back on track.  Together, we have brought the tax rate for middle class families to its lowest in 58 years in the state of New York. Once again, Governor Cuomo and the state of New York have taken a lead on creating a more fair and progressive tax system that should be a model for other states and for our federal government.  

Despite lowering taxes, this plan will also bring in $1.9 billion in much-needed revenue to the state of New York that I hope will be used to fund education, health and public safety programs cut over previous years. With more than half of my constituents earning less than $25,000 a year, there is no doubt in my mind that the communities that I represent are hit the hardest by cutting critical human services. I hope that by continuing to work with Governor Cuomo over the coming days and months, we will be able to ensure that communities like the ones I represent are not being asked to sacrifice further and that a sense of fairness is restored to both our tax system and our budget priorities.”

 

BETTER MANAGEMENT OF CITYS PARKS CONCESSIONS WOULD NET MILLIONS 

  City Comptroller John C. Liu today announced that an audit of the Department of Parks and Recreation’s controls over recreational, dining, and retail concessions found that better management could have yielded $8.8 million more in badly needed revenue for the City.

Most notably, by allowing the Tavern on the Green restaurant to close without contracting for a new operator, the Parks Department has lost concession revenue of nearly $2.2 million, the audit states. In addition to the lost revenue calculations, the City and State have forfeited nearly $3.7 million in sales taxes with Tavern’s demise, and 500 jobs disappeared, the audit estimates. The storied Central Park restaurant closed nearly two years ago and has not reopened.

“Parks are not just about concessions, but concession contracts should be better managed so that revenue flows to the City without unnecessary interruption,” Comptroller Liu said.

The audit concluded that other concessions could also have been better managed – to the tune of $6.6 million. These include the pushcart licenses in Battery Park, the Central Park tennis courts, the ice skating rink at Flushing Meadows Corona Park, and the snack bar at Orchard Beach in Pelham Bay Park.

Specifically, the Parks Department should have started key contract solicitations earlier and ensured more competition, auditors said. Parks also failed to maintain key documentation supporting contract decisions and preventing conflicts of interest.

The Parks Department, as custodian of over 29,000 acres of City parkland, is responsible for soliciting and awarding concessions for various attractions. Typically, the concession operators pay a fee or a percentage of their total receipts – money that is used to support programs and services.

In Fiscal Years 2008, 2009, and 2010, Parks reported concession revenues of $52.6 million, $46.1 million, and $39.8 million, respectively.

The Parks Department has disagreed with many of the audit’s findings, maintaining that delays in implementing license agreements resulted from discussions made in the best interests of the City. It added that it cannot pursue concession revenue above all other considerations, such as legal obligations and long-term capital investments. The audit stated that Parks could have nonetheless avoided many delays with better planning and without compromising other aims.

The audit made 22 recommendations. Among the findings, Parks should:
•       Track the solicitation and award process to ensure that it progresses in a timely matter;
•       Retain written explanations of rejected proposals that detail why an award is not in the City’s best interest;
•       Examine why it receives a small number of responses to solicitations and initiate corrective action. The scope of the audit was July 1, 2008, through June 30, 2010.

Comptroller Liu credited Deputy Comptroller for Audit Tina Kim and the Audit Bureau for presenting the findings. The full report is available at: http://comptroller.nyc.gov/audits

Plans for Ice Skating Rink in Van Cortlandt Park
No Approval Needed

Click on the picture to enlarge it.

Here is the scaled down version of the proposed Van Cortlandt Park Ice Skating Rink that will come and go like a circus according to Parks Department spokesman Davita Mabourakh. 

The electric upgrade will be at the north end of the old tennis courts along with the ice chillers. One question though, will the electric upgrade and chillers be taken out each year like the new smaller ice skating rink?

Oh, by the way Ms. Mabourakh said that the Franchise and Concession Review Committee would not have to approve this smaller rink which was compared to a circus, note the tents, The local community board and elected officials are being told "we thought you wanted the ice skating rink", so we don't need your approval, but let us know you like it. 

By the way this was sprung on the few who attended the Community Board 8 Parks Committee meeting Wednesday night November 30th at the last minute.

Typical Bloomberg thinking.... 

Don't let anyone know what you are doing, and do it at the last minute so there can be little if any opposition. Also tell them that is what they wanted.

Assemblyman Dinowitz Speaks Out Against Potential Cuts to Senior Centers

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz spoke out against potential cuts to Title XX funding for senior centers at a rally at City Hall today sponsored by the Council of Senior Centers & Services of NYC.  For each of the last two years, the Governor's budget proposed cutting tens of millions of dollars from Title XX funding, which resulted in New York City threatening to close over a hundred senior centers.  Assemblyman Dinowitz, former Chair of the Assembly Committee on Aging, led the successful fight this year to prevent this cutback and the closing of senior centers.

"This time around, we want to convince the Governor to not propose this cut in the first place.  I will fight together with Speaker Sheldon Silver, Aging Committee Chair Joan Millman, and my other colleagues to make sure that seniors will not have to live in fear that the senior centers that so many of them depond upon would be closed," said Assemblyman Dinowitz.

 

COUNCILMAN KOPPELL ON A-LIST IN 2011 NYC HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT CARD

Council Member Oliver Koppell is pleased to announce that he is one of nine Council Members who received an A grade on the “2011 New York City Council Human Rights Report Card,” which was  released by the Human Rights Project at the Urban Justice Center on November 14, 2011.

 

The goal of the annual Human Rights Report Card is to provide reliable and accessible information on the performance of City Council representatives in protecting and advancing the human rights of New Yorkers in 2011. Council Members were graded based on their sponsorship of, and votes on, legislation  to advance human rights, as well as their responses to the Human Rights Questionnaire sent to each Council Member in June.

 

The Human Rights Project highlighted Koppell’s legislative priorities including the “Fair Wages for New Yorkers Act,” the “Accessible Taxi Mandate” and improving Department of Buildings access to illegal residential housing conversions as the basis for its rating.  The project also noted Koppell’s  advocacy on behalf of these measures, as well as his budget priorities, which included the “ Children Under Five Mental Health Initiative“, the “Geriatric Mental Health Initiative” and helping ensure that teachers were not laid off.

 

“I am very proud to have received an A grade on the NYC Council Human Rights Report Card based on my legislative record at the City Council, and I look forward to continuing  to advocate on behalf of this vital issue,”  Koppell said..

Bronx Annual Chanukah Celebration

Bronx Borough President

Ruben Diaz Jr.

Invites you to join him at the

Bronx Annual Chanukah Celebration

Mistress of Ceremony

Suzyn Waldman

New York Yankees Broadcaster

Musical Performance

Dafna Israel-Kotok

Shir Fun

Recording Artist and Educator

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Program begins at 12:00 PM

The Bronx County Building

Veteran's Memorial Hall

851 Grand Concourse

Seating is Complimentary and Limited.

RSVP 718.590.3989

Bronx Borough President's Holiday Tree Lighting

         Bronx Borough President 

             Ruben Diaz Jr.

Invites you to join him at the annual

Holiday Tree Lighting

Thursday, December 8, 2011

5:00 pm

Bronx County Building

851 Grand Concourse (Corner of 161st Street)

Sing Christmas carols with Santa Claus

RSVP by Calling 718-590-3522 or email lroldan@bronxbp.nyc.gov

 

SENATOR GUSTAVO RIVERA TEACHES SECOND SERIES OF FREE COMMUNITY CIVICS CLASSES

State Senator Gustavo Rivera will launch his second series of civics classes at the Kingsbridge Library starting Wednesday, November 30, 2011 at 6:00PM. Tonight’s class will focus on the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. This course is FREE TO THE PUBLIC and we encourage Bronxites of all ages to attend. 

WHAT: FREE Civics classes taught by Senator Rivera

WHO: Senator Gustavo Rivera and Irving Ladimer

WHERE: Kingsbridge Library - 291 West 231st Street, Bronx, NY

WHEN: Wednesday, November 30th - 6:00PM-7:00PM

The course will focus on learning about the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, the risks and rewards of citizenship as well as voting and elections. Senator Rivera’s civics course will start on November 30th and will continue every Wednesday until December 14th with a graduation ceremony to celebrate the completion of the course.

Key Witness in Seabrook Corruption Trial Says She Suffers From Dementia 

 

In our column in the Bronx News "100 PERCENT" our headline reads "Just a slap on the wrist", referring to the Larry Seabrook trial and how the governments case seems to be falling apart. The above byline comes from the WNYC blog found here , and says that federal witness 71-year-old Gloria Jones-Grant, was Seabrook's former girlfriend and executive director of the three non-profits Seabrook allegedly used to pocket more than a $1 million in earmarked City Council discretionary funds.

 The only problem is that Ms. Jones-Grant who was granted immunity for her testimony forgot to tell the feds (or the feds did not want to hear) that she has been under the care of a doctor for early stages of dementia.

It just gets better and better for Seabrook, and we can't wait for the testimony of Speaker Quinn and Mayor Bloomberg.

BOROUGH PRESIDENT DIAZ TO LAUNCH

“KEEP THE BRONX WARM MONTH” COAT DRIVE

 

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. will join the volunteer organization New York Cares and HealthPlus to kickoff the 2011 “Keep The Bronx Warm Month” annual coat drive.

Borough President Diaz will announce that during the month of December individuals can drop off and donate coats at his office in the Bronx County Courthouse, local police precincts as well as other public locations.

Last year coat donations declined, leaving 10,000 children city-wide without a warm coat. This year’s goal is to collect 100,000 coats to help meet the unprecedented need in the borough and across the City.

When:                         Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Time:                         11 a.m.

Where:                        On the Steps of the 50th Precinct

3450 Kingsbridge Avenue

                                                  (W.238th Street)

                                  

LIU APPOINTS BRONXITE ARI HOFFNUNG AS DEPUTY COMPTROLLER FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS

City Comptroller John C. Liu today announced the appointment of Ari Hoffnung as Deputy Comptroller for Public Affairs. Hoffnung, who most recently served as Assistant Comptroller of Budget & Chief Policy Officer, will assume his new role on December 19th. He replaces Alan van Capelle who is departing the Comptroller’s Office.

“Ari has been a consistent and constant driving force on some of our office’s highest priority initiatives over the past two years, and he's proven to execute with precision,” Comptroller Liu said. “Ari also shares my deep commitment to public service and improving city government. I’ve no doubt he will excel even more as part of my leadership team.”

“I am honored and humbled for this opportunity,” Hoffnung said. “I look forward to helping to build on Comptroller Liu’s accomplishments and highlighting the great work of the Comptroller’s Office.”

Hoffnung will oversee all operations pertaining to the Public Affairs Bureau of the New York City Comptroller’s Office, which includes the Community Action Center, Public Affairs, and Communications
departments. He will also retain his oversight of the Comptroller’s Policy Bureau. As Deputy Comptroller for Public Affairs, Hoffnung will serve as a chief advisor to Comptroller Liu on all matters involving public policy, intergovernmental, media and community relations.

Deputy Comptroller Hoffnung currently serves as Comptroller Liu’s representative at the Office of Payroll Administration (OPA) and the Financial Information Services Agency (FISA), where he played an integral role in ending the runaway spending associated with the CityTime project.  In addition to FISA and OPA, Hoffnung also serves as Comptroller Liu’s representative on the New York City Banking Commission.

Hoffnung currently manages the division responsible for the budget, policy, and corporate governance functions of the Comptroller’s Office. He has been a driving force on many of Comptroller Liu’s initiatives, including Checkbook NYC, which gives the public online access to the City’s $66 billion in annual expenditures, and Pension NYC, which provides unparalleled access to information pertaining to the $109 billion New York City pension funds.

In addition, he spearheaded the Comptroller’s “Retirement Security NYC”, a major initiative to protect the retirement security of public employees while ensuring the City’s financial health.

Prior to joining Comptroller Liu’s Administration, Deputy Comptroller Hoffnung served as Chief of Staff to then-City Councilman Simcha Felder, and was a Managing Director at Bear Stearns where he worked for more than a decade.

Hoffnung holds an MBA in Finance from New York University’s Stern School of Business and a bachelor’s degree from Queens College.  He resides in the Riverdale section of the Bronx with his wife and two children.

Ari Hoffnung joins  Comptroller Liu's team of Deputy Comptrollers, consisting of First Deputy Eric Eve, Simcha Felder (accountancy and budget), Tina Kim (audit), Carol Kostik (public finance), Ricardo Morales (legal affairs, General Counsel), Larry Schloss (pensions, Chief Investment Officer), and Geneith Turnbull (contracts and procurement).